


Alone Sometimes

by destinae



Series: Moments in Love [1]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 10:16:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14042064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/destinae/pseuds/destinae
Summary: "newt and hermann go kayaking and herms leg Hurts so they spend the following day in bed watching movies" -@oceanyia on twitter





	Alone Sometimes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ussdisco](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ussdisco/gifts).



> "newt and hermann go kayaking and herms leg Hurts so they spend the following day in bed watching movies" -@oceanyia on twitter

Simply put, there was just no need for two middle-aged nerds to be kayaking in the middle of the Summer when one of them already had a hard enough time moving around on  _foot_ , and the other had all the attention span of a hummingbird. The vacation was supposed to be a welcome break from the merciless cycle of the PPDC, and a chance for the two of them to bond a little. Each half of the pair had gotten to choose precisely half of the vacation. Hermann's ideas had involved visiting museums, memorials, and a symphony. Newt's plans leaned towards more  _high-octane_ thrills: a punk concert, some _damn_ good pizza, and finally, the most bizarre of their cumulative plans, **kayaking**. While it would have been nice for there to be some deeply-rooted reason for Newt to want to do it, the truth was that he found a Groupon for a kayak trip, and that it sounded like a date worth remembering.

 

 _Dating_. The term was still new to them. It was no secret in the PPDC ( and especially among what remained of the k-science sector ) that Newt and Hermann had been as much _in to_ one another as they had been _against_ one another from the start. A friendship since childhood, a sense of kindred spirituality, and unshakeable investment in one another's wellbeing had created the relationship equivalent of a ticking time bomb-- it wasn't a matter of ' _will_ they, _wont_ they'. Rather, it was a matter of ' _when_ will they' and ' _why_ wont they'. It had turned out that the answer wouldn't be found out for some time due to a twofold barrier: personal pride, and a concern for what the Corps's rules concerning inter-office relationships said. For some time, there had been a relationship without a label. Newt and Hermann would spend long nights in the lab, long past closing, sitting with shoulders and knees touching as they hotly debated topics, faces getting too close and gazes lingering a little too long. That evolved into sleeping on a old mattress during crunch periods, and then to spending evenings at one another's flats.

 

It wasn't until they'd been caught kissing furiously in a far corner of the k-science lab by a maintenance guy that they would find out that there actually  _wasn't_ a relationship clause, and that they could have been a whole lot less sneaky about the whole thing if they'd just read their contracts before they'd signed on. From there, things had gotten simpler. While the duo still bickered about their work on a daily basis, there was an underlying tension that was gone. They still spent those late nights, collapsed on desks, glasses askew, but there was something more earnest about it. The vacation had been Newt's idea; the idea was that going out in public as a couple would be the fastest way for them to fully embrace the title. As much as Newt enjoyed sitting with his head resting on Hermann's chest, listening to him read out loud in that infuriating yet  _infatuating_ accent as he dozed off, he wanted to do more pedestrian things, too. So, they'd packed their bags and flown across the pond to the United States, and started their vacation with the kind of hubris that begged for disaster.

 

Thus far, things had gone well. They'd attended the concert  _and_ the symphony, both of which had been mutually enjoyable ( for Hermann, he'd liked seeing Newt sit still and concentrate on something for more than thirty minutes, and for Newt, he liked seeing how Hermann blushed when he pulled away from a particularly  _heated_ kiss during one of the band's more upbeat songs ), gone to the museum, and eaten that pizza that Newt had been so amped up for. Yes, it  **was** worth the trip, thanks for asking. They'd begun kayaking, and no more than 10 minutes in, Hermann couldn't take it. The movement agitated his leg, and there was no way he could sit or move that made it any more tolerable. Newt couldn't even be angry at him. He'd possessed a lingering worry about Hermann's leg from the moment he'd bought the opportunity, but some naïve part of Newt had hoped that maybe, just  _maybe_ , the universe would be kind. This was his reminder that fate would always be kind and cruel in equal measure. By the time they had arrived back at the hotel, Newt was more concerned with Hermann than the missed opportunity.

 

Newt had never asked why Hermann used the cane. He assumed that it was something he'd be told when--  _if_ \-- the time ever came. What he'd managed to piece together over their many years of knowing one another was that the issue was progressive. Hermann hadn't used a cane when they'd first met, but by their time at the PPDC, he relied on it to move around. Newt knew that it precipitated chronic pain, and that some things ( such as kayaking, he supposed ) could trigger that pain very easily. Newt also knew that Hermann abided the pain a lot, as he didn't seem to enjoy making a scene of it. While it didn't seem Hermann was  _embarrassed_ by it, he certainly took no pride in it. He  **especially** seemed to resent it when it caused trouble, such as interrupting his plans with his boyfriend on the one vacation that they were allowed a year. Newt led him to the hotel bed, setting Hermann down and letting him make himself comfortable.

 

When one finds themselves in a semi-decent hotel room in Colorado with a pained boyfriend and an earnest desire to make the afternoon a  _good one_ , they make do. Newt ended up calling room servicer and ordering waffles with butter and syrup and a coffee ( for him ), and some eggs and tea ( for Hermann ) , as well as some ice cream ( for dessert-- they  _were_ on vacation after all ). While they waited for the food to arrive, Newt became doting and neurotic, giving Hermann some Ibuprofen and sitting on the bed with him, their fingers intertwined, Hermann's head  resting lightly on his shoulder. There was an emotional intimacy not betrayed by the gesture, a generosity to the fact that Newt  _wasn't_ babbling Hermann's ear off. While Hermann remained calm, Newt knew the pain wasn't going anywhere. Whenever another wave of it hit, Hermann's other hand privately clenched the blanket, his face nuzzling gently against Newt's chest, as if that would be the sudden solution a life-long condition.

 

The food arrived, and Newt rose from the bed to take the tray, handing the employee a $5 tip and closing the door behind him. Everything smelled fucking  **fantastic** , but when he arrived back at the bed, he could tell that Hermann didn't have much of an appetite. That, of course, meant that Newt couldn't eat yet either. Instead, he squatted down by the TV in the room, pulling out a short stack of DVDs and looking at Hermann. "Alright," he said, "Here are your options." One by one, he went through the stack and listed them off: " _Made of Honor_ , featuring  **the** Patrick Dempsey, _The Proposal_ , which is a powerhouse performance from both Sandra Bullock  _and_  Ryan Reynolds, the-" Newt couldn't help a laugh, " _The Godfather II,_ for some reason, or...  _Home Alone 2_ , just in case you wanted another reason to see Donald Trump on screen." 

 

When Newt looked up, he was relieved to see that Hermann was smiling. "I don't think I've seen any of those." Hermann said, pushing himself into a more upright position, back resting against the headboard. "Which is your favorite?" 

 

A pause. "I mean, with  _this_ variety?" Newt asked, then shook his head in disbelief. "I mean,  _Godfather_ is good, but only if you've seen the first. As for  _Home Alone_..." he shook his head. "We'll do  _The Proposal_." Newt opened up the case and put in the DVD, turning on the TV. As he waited for it to load, he caught the reflection of Hermann briefly in the dark of the TV. He looked happy. Somehow, that was more important than the film or the kayaking or their late-evening breakfast ( which was already approaching room temperature, mind you ) was. The TV flashed through some previews, which Newt promptly skipped, and then the menu appeared. "You comfortable, babe?" He asked. "Because I will  _not_ be interrupting this piece of fine cinema for anything." A lie. Newt would leave the room and miss the whole thing if it made Hermann more comfortable.

 

"Yes, I'm alright." 

 

He hit play, and the movie started. Newt kicked off his shoes and socks, crawling on to the bed beside Hermann. He spent the first few moments reading the man's face, trying to see if everything really  _was_ alright, and then put his arm around Hermann's shoulders. Newt pressed a kiss to his cheek, and the film began.

 

* * *

 

 

By the time the credits rolled, Hermann was asleep, and Newt was nodding off. Drowsily, Newt reached for the remote, leaning slightly away from Hermann, who muttered something incomprehensible. Newt froze, then slowly fell back into place. Hermann's left hand reached up to intertwine his fingers with Newt's. He hummed something that Newt was certain was meant to be words, but knew better than to ask him to repeat. With a sigh, Newt used his free hand to play idly with Hermann's hair. He leaned down, gently kissing the top of the other man's head. "I've got to turn it off, hon." He said, pulling away again. This time, Hermann didn't put up a fight, but was  _certain_ to let out a dramatic sigh to make his upset clear. Newt turned the TV off, returning the remote to a small shelf below the monitor and walking to the bedside. He crossed his arms. "How are you feeling?"

 

"Better." Hermann replied, lifting his head to meet gazes with Newt.

 

"I bet." Newt said, putting one hand on the headboard and leaning down to softly kiss Hermann on the lips. "That movie's bound to put anyone in a warm and fuzzy mood."

 

Hermann shook his head. 

 

"You should sleep," Newt said, kissing Hermann on the cheek and standing up straight. "That dead president's--"

 

"Senator," Hermann cut in, still so stubborn, even at his weakest.

 

"Right, that dead  _senator's_ memorial won't put flowers on itself." 

 

* * *

 

 

And it didn't. The next morning, they got up and ordered ( more ) breakfast, scarfing it down together in the midst of saccharine kisses and laughs. They got up, got dressed, got distracted with kissing each other in the doorway, and got in a cab to the memorial. Newt couldn't fathom why it mattered so much to Hermann, but he decided that the fact that it mattered at  _all_ was what was important. Their vacation became more of the joyous highs, and by the time they were in the airport to go back to Hong Kong, Newt couldn't help but remember the vacation fondly.

 

Maybe he should have been infuriated by the fact that he had wasted his Groupon. Maybe there was a timeline where Newt had been consumed by frustration and rage and broken up with Hermann on the spot. Maybe. Or, maybe, it didn't matter. Newt had enjoyed the symphony and the memorial and the museums not because they interested him, but because he saw how they made Hermann feel. To see a restrained man smile and talk and gesticulate openly, in front of the world. The movie had been a more humble version of that. It was their time together, their time that they were allotted to be sincerely  _together_ , that was valuable about the vacation. Newt would take that in any iteration it came.

 

They'd get teased on their first day back at work for not having tanned. Newt wouldn't care, he'd just shake his head and tell the interns to finish preparing the petri dishes.

 

It wasn't about anything else but the two of them. It never had been.


End file.
